1. How did each of the following influence the evolution of the issue of slavery in the territories? How did each "compromise" set the stage for future conflict?
2. Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison shared many of the same views about abolitionism. By the late 1840s, however, the two men became allied with different factions of the antislavery movement for personal and political reasons.
How did the views of Douglass and Garrison compare to the official platform adopted by the Republican Party in 1856? (i.e. - who would have embraced the Republicans more?)
3. The Senate became a major focal point in the arguement over slavery once the sectional balance disappeared with the Compromise of 1850. With the retirement of the "Great Triumvirate" (Calhoun, Webster, and Clay), compromise slowly gave way to personal gain.
Why did Steven A. Douglas, a senator from a free-state (Illinois), seek to overturn the Missouri Compromise with the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
Why did Lincoln issue his "House Divided" speech in 1858 when running against Steven A. Douglas for the Senate in 1858?
How did Douglas counter Lincoln's position (the "House Divided" speech) in the famous debates between the two?
How do you think that the Freeport Doctrine hurt Douglas in the (presidential) rematch with Lincoln two years later in 1860?
Read the following articles (from the Massachusetts Courier and South Carolinian) and summarize the opinions felt in each section of the country following this attack. How could they be so different and which side do you agree with?
5. Why do some say the Civil War began in Kansas (give a brief timeline of the events from 1855 to 1861)?
Could this violence have been avoided? How?
What events made John Brown into the man who led the Osawatomie Massacre (and what happened there)?
Why did Brown focus on violence and how was that influenced by his religious beliefs?
7. As the country moved toward disunion, popular music of the time matched the mood in sections of the country. Two songs in particular: "Dixie" (history / lyrics / music) and "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (history / lyrics / music) best summed up these feelings.
How (and why) did each song "anger" the other section of the country?
Explain the modern controversy regarding "Dixie" - is it legitimate? Explain why (or why not) you feel that way.
American Spirit Assignment (only for those who don't have access to a computer)
Causes of the Civil War WebQuest
1. How did each of the following influence the evolution of the issue of slavery in the territories? How did each "compromise" set the stage for future conflict?
2. Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison shared many of the same views about abolitionism. By the late 1840s, however, the two men became allied with different factions of the antislavery movement for personal and political reasons.
3. The Senate became a major focal point in the arguement over slavery once the sectional balance disappeared with the Compromise of 1850. With the retirement of the "Great Triumvirate" (Calhoun, Webster, and Clay), compromise slowly gave way to personal gain.
4. What happened between Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner?
5. Why do some say the Civil War began in Kansas (give a brief timeline of the events from 1855 to 1861)?
6. What happened at Harper's Ferry?
7. As the country moved toward disunion, popular music of the time matched the mood in sections of the country. Two songs in particular: "Dixie" (history / lyrics / music) and "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (history / lyrics / music) best summed up these feelings.
American Spirit Assignment (only for those who don't have access to a computer)